Bar·ley·corn n.
  1. A grain or “corn” of barley.
  2. Formerly , a measure of length, equal to the average length of a grain of barley; the third part of an inch.
  John Barleycorn, a humorous personification of barley as the source of malt liquor or whisky.
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  John Barleycorn
       n : distilled rather than fermented [syn: liquor, spirits, booze,
            hard drink, hard liquor, strong drink]